


The Mosses travel to Washington

by JessARober1501



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Established Relationship, F/M, Hanukkah, Multi, New Years
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:26:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27701354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JessARober1501/pseuds/JessARober1501
Summary: The entire Moss clan travels to DC for the holidays, as crisis after crisis hits the White House.
Relationships: Jordon Kendall/Leo McGarry, Josh Lyman/Donna Moss
Comments: 8
Kudos: 49





	1. Berti and David arrive at the White House

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Snowbowl](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14786480) by Bondi Gargoyle [archived by [westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist](https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist)]. 



W _est Wing lobby_

  
“Thank you, Charlie. I’ll let them know you’re on the way.” Larry gently placed the phone in its cradle before turning towards his guest, “That was Charlie Young, he’ll be here in just a moment to sign you guys in and show you around.”

  
“Thank you.” David Moss replies as he gently nods at the uniformed Secret Service agent, his hand gently grips his wife’s. The original plan had been for David and Berti to fly down with Kevin, Betsy, and Davey on the 22nd; which would have allowed them to get in and signed into the hotel a couple days before the rest of the family arrived. But a call from the White House on the 17th had changed all that; after frantically working to change their flights, while also assuring Betsy that they’d try to be at National to pick them up once this situation had been resolved.

  
Berti has been on edge since she answered the phone two days ago. While Nancy had done her level best to assure her that nothing was wrong with Donna…she is a mother, and a grandmother, suddenly being summoned to your youngest daughter’s place of work cannot be a good sign.

  
“Mr. and Mrs. Moss?” Charlie turned the corner towards Larry’s as he pushed through the double doors from the communications bullpen.

  
“Please, call us Berti and David.” All three shook hands.

  
“Nice to meet you, please follow me.”

  
“Of course, lead the way.” Berti noticed her husband’s hand hadn’t left her arm since they walked into the guarded property that is the center of America’s executive branch. They follow him back into the communications bullpen as he began an abbreviated tour.

  
“On your left is the White House Communications Department, Communications Director Toby Ziegler and his Deputy Sam Seaborn occupy the two offices and then their assistants and research assistants occupy the Communications bullpen.” Charlie explained, “On the right is the Roosevelt Room, I’d show you Theodore Roosevelt’s Nobel Peace Prize but unfortunately the roo..” At that point, Charlie’s practiced routine was rudely interrupted by the elevated voice of Josh Lyman; what he was irritated about, the Berti and David could only guess at. They did notice Charlie roll his eyes as he resumed his rapid walking pace. “I apologize, as your daughter has probably told you…Josh can sometimes get a little ‘heated’ when a meeting isn’t going his way. Now if you’ll turn in here please.”

  
The Mosses gently turn into the room they were being guided to; Charlie follows them before sitting at his desk. “Please take a seat, is there anything we can get you guys while you wait?"

  
“No thank you.” David looked at his wife before continuing, “Could you please tell us what this is all about? My lovely wife has been worried since we got the call asking us to come in early…ow!” Charlie stifled a laugh as he watched Berti pinch her husband’s arm. That reminded him of how Donna keeps Josh in check when his mouth gets ahead of his brain.

  
****

  
_Operations Bullpen_

  
“DONNA!”

  
“Oh god Joshua, do you ever get tired of hearing the sound of your own voice?”

  
“No, no I don’t…look, can you follow me into my office please?”

  
“Did you just say please?”

  
“Donnaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa” Even as she rolls her eyes, Donna Moss slowly stands up from her desk and follows her boss into his office. The warning bells in her head go off when he gently closes the door behind her. “Josh, what’s going on?”

  
“Did you know your parents are already in town?”

“What?” Donna stares at him with a look of shock, more than anything, “They aren’t supposed to be in town for another couple of days.”

  
“We’ll, they’re here now.” Josh looks down at Donna’s right hand and sees the ring he gave her just a few weeks earlier. The memory causes him to smile, which only irritates Donna. “What do you mean, they’re here Josh?”

  
“I saw Charlie walk them into the Oval’s outer office while I was in my meeting with the representatives from the FBI.”

***

  
_The Oval’s outer office_

  
“Mr. and Mrs. Moss, it’s so good to finally meet you. I’m Josiah Bartlet.”


	2. A sprinkling of Presidential pressure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Berti and David get some one-on-one time with the President of the United States.

_The Oval Office_

_*Whack_

_*Whack_

_*Whack_

_*Whack_

“Are you done with that, Mr. President?” The murderous glare trained on the White House Counsel would have intimidated any other man, but Oliver Babish had been on the receiving end of it more than once over the last five months. And honestly, he was getting tired of it. “As much as I would enjoy seeing which happened first, a concussion or breaking the Resolute Desk, Dr. Bartlet would snap my ankle if I didn’t stop you.”

“You should take me this as an invitation to leave at any time, Oliver.” The President was tired of these nearly daily meetings with Babish, and he just wanted some piece and quiet. “I would Mr. Presi…”

“Like right now.”

“Of course, sir.” Babish and his staff quietly gathered up their folders before turning and exiting out the door to the outer office. With one final _whack_ , President Bartlet let his head fall onto his desk before letting out a low growl of anger. He wanted to go lay down on the couches in the Oval for a bit, but he knew he needed to make a phone call to Pat _and_ also read through this briefing memo on the continued issues with the banana trade in Central America… _Goddamnit Dole_. “Mr. President, they’re here.”

“They’re here?” Jed looked up in surprise, he hadn’t expected to see them until later tonight. Nancy had looked at the flights from Milwaukee before she placed the call; having them show up in the middle of the workday was not what he…or Donna needed. “Should I send them in sir?”

“No! No need,” Jed said. “I’ll come get them myself.” Despite his pounding headache, Jed Bartlet stood up from his chair and walked over to the outer office. “Mr. and Mrs. Moss, it’s so good to finally meet you. I’m Josiah Bartlet.”

Berti, of course, was the first to find her voice. “It’s our pleasure Mr. President, we’ve heard so much about you.” 

“Would you please step int my office with me?” Jed guides the elderly couple in front of him towards the Oval. “Would you guys like coffee, tea, or anything to drink?”

“No sir, thank you.” David says as his wife shakes his head.

“NANCY!”

“Yes Mr. President?”

“Could you have a porter bring in a carafe of coffee, three mugs, and the works?”

“Of course, sir.” She closes the door behind her as the President takes a seat on his customary chair, the Mosses sit down on the couch opposite him. “Sir, why were we called to Washington early?” Berti asks as soon as she sits down, “We were going to be here in a few days anyway.”

“I wanted to have a little chat with you two.” The President gets a gleam in his eye before asking his next question, “Is it true Joshua Lyman scored a touchdown on eight-time NFL Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion Peter Moss?”

David stifles a laugh, as Berti shoots him a quick glare. “He did score a touchdown Mr. President, but it was against our younger son Rick.” He shrugs his shoulders, “Pete did hit Josh pretty hard a couple times, so his memory might be a little foggy.” This gets a belly laugh from POTUS as a porter comes in with the requested coffee supplies.

“I mean,” With a twinkle in his eye, the President stood up to make some coffee. “Do you really want this guy as your future son-in-law? After all, he invented a secret plan to fight inflation _and_ didn’t support it.” David and Berti share a confused look while they remain seated, the President eyes them casually before making a gesture for them to stand. “In this building, no body sits while the President stands.” The shift in his tone chills the room’s temperature by several degrees.

“Yes sir.” Jed remains standing as he resumes, it is clear from the tone in his voice interruption will not be tolerated. “Donnatella Moss is an invaluable member of this administration, she helped us end the Senator Stackhouse’s filibuster, manages to mend almost every fence Josh breaks on the hill, while never being afraid to call Josh, Leo, and (occasionally) myself or Abbey to the carpet when needed.” He fixes a piercing stare on Berti. “While a college degree would be helpful with perception, your youngest daughter already has the skillset, intelligence, and charisma to occupy any office in this building…including the very one we’re standing in.”

“She’s flourished, sir.”

“She absolutely has,” He looks at David. “While her decision to drop out and support Dr. Freeride was not well thought out, she was only 20 when she made it. Was it a mess, yes. But can you honestly stand there, in the Oval Office, and tell me you didn’t make any messy decisions at that age?”

“No sir.”

“You learned from them, became a better person…yes?”

“Correct, sir.”

“Good,” The President walks back to his seat and takes it, his two guests also resume theirs. “Now I know you both had similar conversations with Josh. But I wanted to let you know that he’s not the only one that sees how invaluable she is.” Berti and David nod their heads silently. “I know you both love her, so do Abbey and I; we see her as our fourth daughter…and Josh is the son we never had.” This, again, generates nods from the two others in the room.

There’s a cough from behind Berti and David. “Mr. President,” Leo McGarry fixes his old friend with a stare. “If you’re done in here, there is something we need to chat about.”

“Of course, Leo. CHARLIE!” The door to the outer office swings open as the familiar face of Charlie Young walks into the Oval Office.

“Yes Mr. President?”

“Would you be so kind as to show Berti and David to Donna’s desk?”

“Yes sir.” He nods at the two Mosses and guides them out to the outer office before closing the door. “What’s the problem Leo?” Jed turns towards his Chief of Staff.

“Republican leadership in the House has granted Gibson his committee reassignment request.”

***

_The office of the White House Deputy Chief of Staff_

“C’mere.” Josh says as he opens his arms towards his girlfriend. “It’s going to be okay.” She collapses into him and clutches his chest tightly. She takes several steadying breaths before she stands on her own again. “Thank you, Josh. I love you.” Donna whispers the last part, even thought they both know it breaks one of Leo’s rules. His rules have been harder to follow as the Moss family visit has inched closer with each passing day; the only one that _had not_ been broken by this point was Donna wearing the ring on her right hand.

“I love you too.” He softly smiles at her, before gently squeezing her hand. “They aren’t going to be able to check into their hotel for the next couple of days. If you’re comfortable with-it Donna, your parents can stay in my guest room.”

“I really appreciate that…” Their soft moment is interrupted by a gentle knocking at the door. “Josh, it’s Mike Casper…I need to brief you about an investigation the Bureau is launching.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't yet, please make sure to read Snowbowl. It's a Thanksgiving themed story that immediately precedes this one.
> 
> You'll really need to read it to understand the next chapter.


	3. Sylvia doesn’t know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Josh has forgotten to tell a rather important person in his life that he gave Donna his grandmother's ring.

_The residence of Joshua Lyman_

It’s 2:30 in the morning before Josh groggily exits the cab he hailed at the White House and attempts to unlock his own door. He doesn’t notice Berti standing in the doorway to his guest bedroom as he trudges towards the living room before collapsing onto the couch. She debates whether or not to wake him up, or to just grab the afghan she noticed on the chair when Donna dropped them off seven hours ago; Donna’s words from Thanksgiving reverberate in her head,

> “I barely make to a second date these days. I don't have time. Working in the White House isn't like nine to five, its more like six to three and I mean those both to be a.m. How come you never phone and ask me about that? You all ask if I'm dating but no one calls and asks about work.”

Both Josh and Donna had made it absolutely clear how insane their hours were, but it was hard to comprehend when they were back at her condo in Madison. Now, that she’s here in DC, it’s taken all of one day for Berti to fully comprehend what they were trying to tell her only a few weeks ago. With that in mind, she decides it’s better for Josh to get any sleep he can before he has to go back to work…and uses the afghan to tuck him in before she heads back to bed with her sleeping husband.

At six o’clock, Josh’s alarm goes off for another day of work.

***

_9:30 EDT_

_White House DCoS’s office_

“Joshua,” Donna barges into his office without preamble and fixes him with a glare. “Would you please explain to me why you haven’t told your own mother about us?” The confusion on Josh’s face is crystal clear as he sets down the briefing memo he’d been reading only seconds before; then it hits him and he has the decency to look a bit sheepish. “I…I honestly kept trying to set aside time in the schedule, but it ends up getting filled by a thing. Wait, how do you know she doesn’t know? Did you tell her?”

“No, I did not JOSHUA. She emailed me asking if you’re doing anything to get out of the office at a decent time…or if you were seeing anyone.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, oh.”

“I should probably let her know then…”

“Yes, you should Joshua!” Donna sighs with exasperation before continuing, “Especially sense my parents, my brothers, sisters, and sibling-in-laws know, along with the senior staff, and the President. It would be good to let your mother know that you gave me your grandmother’s ring.”

“You’re right,” he puts out his hands in a sign of surrender. “What time is my meeting at Hoover building?”

“Noon”

“Ahkay, could you please get me the number for my mother’s condo please?” Donna glares at him before turning around and heading to her desk. Josh can hear her aggressively flipping through pages in her planner, then writing something down, before she stomps back into his office. The message slip with his mother’s relatively new Florida phone number is in his hands before she leaves, slamming the door behind her. _I’ll buy her some flowers…she really seemed to enjoy the arrangement I got her last April_. He hears the phone ring twice before he hears his mother pick up. “Hello?”

“Hello Mom.”

“Is this my son, because this sounds an awful lot like my son.” Sylvia Lyman lays on the guilt like only a Jewish mother can “But I know it can’t be my son because he never calls me this early in the day, or this regularly.” The last time he had called her was two months ago, back when he thought he was joining the first family for Thanksgiving.

Josh huffs a little, he knows it’s good natured teasing…but he does feel guilty over not talking to his mother nearly as often as he should. Especially since the shooting at Rosslyn. “It is in fact, your only son.”

“Not that I’m not glad to hear from you,” Sylvia laces that statement with even more guilt. “But why are you calling me so early in the day? Is everything okay?”

“Everything is fine mom.”

“That’s good, how is Donna?”

“Donna is good, she’s actually…well, excellent.”

“Oh?”

“I gave her Bubbe’s ring.” The sentence is out of his mouth before his brain register’s what it’s saying.

….

“Mom?”

“What the hell? When?”

“Mother!”

“Don’t you dare _Mother_ me Joshua! When did you give our Donnatella the ring?”

“Right before we went to her parents for Thanksgiving.”

“So,” She lets that word hang in the air for a moment. “You have time to visit Donna’s parents but not your mother?”

"Gott im Himmel, please strike me dead.”

“ _JOSHUA!”_

“Sorry mami.”

“All is forgiven,” He can hear the smile on the other end of the line. “I didn’t even know you guys were together. I mean I knew, and know, you two are perfect for each other…but I thought I’d know when you guys were dating. It never even came up when Donna and I talk.”

“Wait, you talk to Donna?”

“She calls me two to three times a month Joshua.”

“I think that’s more than she calls her mother.”

“It is.”

“Let’s agree to _not_ tell Roberta Moss that fact.”

“That’s fine by me dear,” Josh can hear his mother doing chores in the background. “But you must tell me when you and Donna finally started dating.”

“The story isn’t quite that simple.”

He hears a sigh on the other end of the line. “It never really is, is it Joshua.”

“No.”

“Do you love her?”

“Of course!”

“Does she know you love her?”

“I’ve told her many times, even on government property.”

“Isn’t that against Leo’s rules?”

“And how would you know about Leo’s rules, mami?”

…

Josh leans back in his chair, smiling to himself. “I think I already know though, don’t I?”

“He was worried you’d never get around to mentioning it.”

“Leo knows me so well.”

“He really does sweetheart.” The door to his office opens and Donna walks in with Mike Casper trailing her. The look on Mike’s face communicates the urgency of his sudden appearance. “Mami, I need to go. Donna just walked in with my next meeting for the day. I love you.”

“I love you too sweetheart, make sure to give Donna my love. Oh, you both need to come visit me sometime soon.”

“I’ll see what we can do.” Josh gently sets his phone down as Donna closes the door. To his surprise, she stays in his office. “Do you have an update for me Mike?”

“Another Black church in Tennessee was burned down last night; it’s the same MO as the previous four.”

“Donna-“

“I’ll call Margaret.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Please stay safe during the pandemic, I know my family and I will be doing a pair of Zoom calls tonight.


	4. The inflection point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Worry in the White House builds over the church arsons in Tennessee; while Josh learns some difficult news about someone he loves deeply.

_4:30 PM_

_The Oval Office_

“In all five of these burned out churches, we’ve found remnants of Molotov Cocktails.” Mike Casper was standing at attention, nervously in front of the President. Jed is sitting in his customary chair, with Leo on his left, Josh is standing to Casper’s right by the fireplace. “Fortunately, all of the churches have been empty thus far; but we’re worried they could escalate it heading into Christmas.”

“Do you have any evidence to support this…this worry?” The President looked at his Chief of Staff in disbelief. This most recent escalation in Tennessee, three of the five African American churches had been torched in the last three days, was terrifying. To the occupants in the room, it felt like these were a series of practice runs… so far the FBI had not presented any evidence that it would escalate. “Mr. Casper?”

“Not specifically, sir.” Casper looked nervously at Josh, “There is increased chatter on Stormfront about hoping for an attack when the churches are occupied…but other than that, it’s been fairly quiet.”

“What are my options?”

“Well, Mr. President,” Josh looked at Leo for permission before continuing; he received a slight nod of his mentor’s head. “Since I brought Leo up to speed, I’ve had multiple meetings with the Counsel’s office…they unanimously agree that you’d be well within your right to federalize the Tennessee National Guard.”

“That seems like a drastic step.”

“It is,” Leo looked at his old friend before continuing. “Especially with so little evidence that this could escalate to setting the churches on fire when they’re occupied.”

“Leo…”

“You were a governor, sir. How would you have responded to President Lassiter calling up the guard with so little evidence?”

“We don’t have a large Black population in New Hampshire, Leo.”

“For what it’s worth Mr. President,” Mike took a gulp. “I agree with Josh, the cost of not doing anything when you can, would be too high.” President Bartlet looked at the FBI agent and nodded softly; unfortunately, it really wasn’t that simple and everyone in the room knew it too. He took a steadying breath. “NANCY!”

“Yes Mr. President?”

“I need the Governor of Tennessee on the line, _right now_.” The President’s tone was stiff, “I don’t care if he’s in bed or having a romantic dinner with his wife.”

“I’ll get him on the line for you sir.”

“Let me know when you do, thanks.”

“Josh.”

“Yes sir?”

“I’ll need you to get together a briefing book on hate crime stats in Tennessee,” Josh nodded as he turned to leave the room. “The Governor is going to be coming to visit tomorrow, come hell or high water, so I need to all the information Donna can find.”

“I understand, Mr. President.” As Josh turned to leave the room, he felt Leo’s hand gently land on his shoulder. He turned to look at the man he regarded as a father figure, the look on his face said it all. “Hey Mike, can you go wait in the outer office for a minute…I need to talk to Leo.”

“Sure.”

As Mike left the room, Josh followed Leo through the connecting door to his office. He waited quietly as Leo shut the door to the Oval before proceeding to lock all the other two doors to his office. The grave look on the elder man’s face caused the hair on Josh’s arms and neck to rise; miraculously, he kept his peace as he waited for Leo to say what had him so deeply disturbed. “Josh, do you remember when I was late to the final debate?”

****

_Operations bullpen_

“ _Joanne_ ” Donna’s jaw was so tight, she worried its muscles would snap at any moment. “I can’t divulge everything going on at the White House. There is something pretty significant going on and it’s going to take up a lot of mine and Josh’s time.” She could only fume as her oldest sister was picking a fight, one she did not particularly feel like fighting at the moment. Jo had been fairly pissy because Josh didn’t call her after Thanksgiving; it also didn’t help that Donna had been avoiding her calls _while also_ ignoring her emails. After the series of stunts she pulled last time they were in the same zip code…well, let’s just say Donna wasn’t in a forgiving mood. “Oh for fucksake Jo, knock it off. He’s not interested in you, I understand your divorce is rou-“ The phone disconnected before she could finish her sentence. _That bitch makes me so fucking mad._

Donna was still seething when Josh walked back in from Leo’s office, she didn’t even notice he was back until she heard him slam his door shut. Then she heard briefing memos and binders crashing to the floor, and that _outright terrified_ her. After she managed to get her own fear under control, she slowly stood up and walked to his office.

When she opened the door, the mess that she found wasn’t all that surprising. Nor was it surprising to see Josh sitting on the floor with his knees pressed against his chest while his back was against his book shelf; it appeared that he had thrown a memo at the overloaded shelves and the impact of one additional document had been too much for the shelving too bare…and they broke, one after the other while spilling their contents onto the floor. “ _Josh_ ” her voice was barely a whisper as she locked the door behind her.

Josh just turned his head to stare at her, well…more accurately he was staring past her. It was clear that he hadn’t registered the fact that she was standing in the room with him. This was incredibly frightening to Donna, but this time (unlike last Christmas) she was going to do anything she could to comfort him. Slowly she stepped over the strewn papers and broken binders, before coming to a stop next to her boyfriend. “ _Joshua_.” Again, she whispered his name. This time he seemed to register her voice, but he still didn’t speak.

After a moment, she decided she had to touch him…had to try to ground him and bring him back to the present. Whatever he had just learned in his meeting was going to eat at him, at his _guilt_ complex until he put his hand through another window and she couldn’t have that.

Donna gently reached out for him, and that’s all it took for him to break. His quiet sobs wracked his body as he collapsed into her waiting arms.

Neither of them really understood how much time had passed as Donna held Josh while he cried. Her hand gently rubbing his back as she tried to sooth him over what he had learned. She instinctively know that even if he _could_ tell her, what he had learned was going to be incredibly hard for him to tell her and would have to happen on its own time. No matter how much worry it caused her.

Once Josh had gotten a hold of himself, Donna gently wiped away his tears while not letting him go. She placed a chaste kiss on his lips while continuing to rub his back; it was not surprising when he failed to respond to the kiss. His mental state was too far gone for the night. But she continued to hold him, “I love you Joshua, don’t ever forget that.” He nodded before gently placing a kiss on her cheek.

“Me too.” Donna smiled softly at him.

“I need all the information you can get your hands on for the following two things.” Josh’s voice cracks, “Hate crime stats in Tennesse and Congressman Darren Gibson.”

“The congressman from the Michigan second?” A nod was all she got in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you guys figured out which episodes I'm going to be covering in this story?
> 
> Ever since I read Snowbowl the first time, I've wanted to play around with how that divergence from cannon would impact these two episodes. This thought has come up in my head every time I've reread it and with the holidays just around the corner I thought it would be a good time to explore it in depth.


	5. Those who know...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of Donna's family arrives at National, as she worries about what's going on at the White House.

_The next day, 11:30 AM_

_Reagan National Airport, Washington D.C._

“AUNT DONNA!” The little girl’s squeal and full speed sprint into Donna’s legs nearly knocked her to the ground; it also interrupted her conversation with Senator Rafferty. “I missed you!”

“Where’d you come from Chloe?” Donna picked her youngest niece up as she showered her cheeks in kisses. Afterwards, she looked up and saw the rest of the hoard coming her way; several people recognized her oldest brother and tried to get an autograph. It was slowing down their progress. She was growing more apprehensive about the visit, especially with the church burnings down in Tennessee; if this got as bad as she believed it would, Donna would hardly get to see her family at all…not that that would be a bad thing.

“From the plane, silly!” Chloe blew a raspberry at her aunt. “Where’s unca’ Josh?” Donna felt her face grow hot as she stammered for an acceptable explanation to provide to the Senator. But when she turned to look, Rickey Rafferty was giving her a knowing smile before muttering under her breath “ _It’s about damn time_.” Rickey shook Donna and Chloe’s hand before wandering off when she saw her own parents exiting the secure part of the airport. “ _Aunttttt Donnnnaaaaaa,_ where is unca’ Josh?”

“He’s still at work sweetie.” The blush hadn’t quiet gone away from her cheeks by the time Pete engulfed her in a hug after Kevin took Chloe out of his sister-in-law’s arms. Everyone took their turn greeting her. It wasn’t until the parade of hugs and kisses was done that she noticed there was an unsurprising absence. “No Jo?” Donna looked at her oldest brother while quirking an eyebrow.

“She’s rather miffed at you.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

There were soft murmurs among the adults, but those were interrupted by the kids whining about being hungry _and_ tired. To prevent a collective meltdown, the decision was made to run to the nearest McDonald’s before getting checked into the hotel. Betsy noticed her sister was antsy while waiting with the kids at the car rental counter, she pulled her off to the side. “Are you doing okay?”

“It’s just a lot, having you guys here.” Donna hedged before continuing, “And there’s something going on right now, I really should be back at the White House. But Josh insisted I at least greet you guys at the airport since I’m going to be so busy over the next few days.”

“Do you wanna go back?”

“I need to, the last thing the country needs right now is for Josh to create a war between the different departments.”

“Go, I’ll watch the kids.” Donna regarded Betsy with surprise, her sister had never really shown any interest in her work prior to her outburst after Thanksgiving. Maybe the importance of what Donna did on a day-to-day basis had sunk in with at least a few of her family members. “Thanks Bets, you’re a life saver.”

***

_The office of the White House Press Secretary_

CJ wanted to strangle Danny, it was a daily occurrence…but this time it was about something he’d _actually_ written, instead of his editorial team. Apparently, somebody in the administration wasn’t happy with the way it was handling climate change and they thought the best way to change _public policy_ was to leak it to a member of the press. _Fat chance, hell I help shape public policy and it’s a struggle to get this number one priority to the top of the list most weeks._ “CJ,” At Carol’s voice, the press secretary looked up from Danny’s article. “Do you have a minute for Donna?”

“Donna get in here!” She shooed Carol away as Josh’s assistant/girlfriend/(fiancé?) walked into the office with her eye’s downcast. “What’s wrong? Did Josh say or do something stupid? Do I need to castrate him?” They both heard Carol chuckle as she shut the door behind the younger woman.

“No Ceej,” Donna sighed before looking up at her friend. “My niece, Chloe, blew the secret today.”

“Secret? Wha-“ Then it dawned on CJ. “Who heard and what did they hear?”

“It was Senator Rafferty. I was talking to her while I was waiting for my family to come to baggage claim. Chloe came barreling out of no where and nearly knocked me over…”

“Donna, you’re rambling.”

“Right,” The younger woman took a steadying breath. “Chloe asked me where unca’ Josh was while the Senator was standing right next to me.”

“How’d she react?”

“She gave me a soft smile, then said ‘ _It’s about damn time_.” The laughter that escaped the older woman’s mouth startled Donna. She had expected to be yelled at for being careless, not laughed at. The confused look on her face caught CJ’s eye, “Oh Donna, I think half of DC has been betting on when you two were going to figure it out.” This caused Donna to do a neat impression of Gail the goldfish. “Rafferty has been rooting for you two since the midterms. She thinks its adorable.”

“How do yo-“

“Do you really want to know the answer to that question, Donna?” The younger women shut her mouth and glared. “It’s gonna be okay, I promise.”


	6. …And those who don’t

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the crises mount, more of the White House senior staff are brought up to speed.

_The office of the White House Communications Director_

“Donna’s nieces and nephews really call you Uncle Josh?” Sam stared at his best friend incredulously. “Don’t you think they’re going to wonder why you aren’t there at the airport to greet them?”

“Donna we’ll explain it,” Josh took a fortifying breath, “hopefully before one of them blows the thing wide open in front of a reporter.” Further conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Toby Ziegler. The frumpy and grumpy Communications Director fixed a steely glare on his deputy before turning to look at Josh; his job had been so much easier before the Deputy Chief of Staff and his senior assistant had figured it out, but he couldn’t begrudge his two friends for finally figuring it out either. “This is your meeting Josh, let’s start it.” Toby dropped a stack of briefing memos on the desk, “preferably before I’m late to my meeting with the minority leader.”

“I had Bonnie cancel that meeting for you Toby.”

“ _Why_?”

“This meeting is going to take a while.” At that moment, Josh stands up to close the door.

***

_White House CoS’s office_

A soft knock at his door pulled Leo McGarry out of his briefing memo, on something or other, then he heard it open. “Leo,” Margaret poked her head into the crack, “Jordon Kendall is here to see you.”

“Great, send her in. Then close the door and _do not_ eavesdrop on this conversation Margaret.” He watched as his longtime assistant nodded before opening the door all the way to usher in his girlfriend. Jordan looked worried as she came rushing into the room, it’s not often that you get summoned to your boyfriend’s office with your only instructions being, “get her as soon as possible, tell no one”. It had scared her, looking at Leo’s face...it was crystal clear she had a reason to be concerned. “Leo,” it’s clear that he hasn’t slept in days, and Margaret hinted that he hadn’t been eating all that well either. “What’s going on?”

“I _need_ a lawyer.”

“What’s happening?” She sits down at the couch opposite from his desk, and gently pats the seat next to her. Unsurprisingly, Leo doesn’t come over. “Love?”

“Gibson got his reassignment request. He’s going to be on Government Oversight for the hearings.”

“Is that unusual?”

“It’s never happened before, they’d only move him because they’re confident he has dirt on one of the witnesses.”

“It’s you, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Leo,” Jordon’s voice is a harsh whisper, “I need to know what he has on you before I can figure out a way forward.”

“On the night of the final Presidential debate,” He finally looks at her, “I was trying to secure some last-minute donations from several CEOs. Gibson was one of them. After a bit of discussion, they admitted they were worried they had backed the wrong horse and were looking to hedge their bets. They offered me an 18-year old scotch.” The last part was barley audible, but the implication was clear.

“You relapsed after they left.” His soft nod made her feel sorry for the man, but she couldn’t let him know that in this moment. She quietly stood up and walked over to him before squeezing his shoulders. “How does Gibson know?”

“He came back to the room because he forgot his briefcase.”

“And now he wants to use it against you in the hearings.” Again, Leo nodded softly. “How is it relevant?”

“The, then, Governor collapsed prior to the debate. The doctors on sight all told the team that it was an inner ear infection.”

“Oh.”

“None of us have sought out confirmation…”

“Trust me, none of you want it.”

“But that’s how he gets to bring it up in the hearings…and that’s probably why Republican leadership allowed his late committee reassignment.”

“Who knows about your relapse?”

“The President, Josh Lyman, Darren Gibson, myself, and now you.”

“Do you think Gibson told anyone?”

“I don’t know Jordon, I don’t know.”

***

_White House Communication Director’s office_

“So we’ve got six African American churches burned down now, and the FBI doesn’t have a clue who’s doing it?” Toby and Sam both looked at Josh with a mixed look of terror and anger on their faces. “What the hell do we pay them for?”

“Toby,”

“No seriously?”

“They’re working on it, the Tennessee State Police didn’t pull them in until the fourth church had been set on fire and that was only two days ago. Casper and his team haven’t had a lot of time to dig into this case yet.”

“What’s the President doing?” This time it was Sam.

“He’s trying to convince the Governor to call up the guard to protect the churches. It’ll be easier for everyone if the Governor does it.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

“We’ll cross that bridge if we get there, Sam.”

“We’ll, I’m so _glad_ that the Federal Government is on the case then!” Toby threw his pink ball against the window between his and Sam’s office. It’s ricochet off the window and onto the couch missed Sam by a few inches. “Sam, please leave Josh and I in here for a moment.” The Deputy Communications Director looked at his two friends warily, before getting up to the leave the room.

Once they hear the door close, Toby looks at Josh. “Why is Jordan Kendall meeting with Leo today, Josh?” All he got in response was a blank look, this provokes a sigh. “At least tell me if you’re in the room.”

“I am Toby, I am.”

“You’ll let me know as soon as you need to then.” Josh nodded softly before exiting the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for taking a little over a week to update this you guys. Life's gotten in the way and I had to sort it out before I could move this story forward.


	7. A disastrous family dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some members of the Moss clan still refuse to fully understand the importance of Donna's job as the couple struggles to get away from a tumultuous White House.

_The Operations Bullpen_

“ _Donnnaaaaaaa!!!!!”_

“Stop whining Joshua.”

“Would you just come here, now.” Josh has reached a particular peak of Joshiness as he hustles out of his office towards the lobby. “I know where supposed to meet your family for dinner tonight, but I’ve got to be in with the Gov-“ He doesn’t get his finish his sentence as Donna grabs his ear and pulls him back to his office. _Ow this hurts._ The door slams behind the duo as Josh feels himself be pushed up against the wall. “Donna, I apprecia-“

“For godsake Joshua, can it.” He stills. “My parents are just going to have to live with us being late. I told them at Thanksgiving what this job entails and if they aren’t going to understand after that then they just aren’t going to understand.”

“Ahkay.”

“Now what do you need for the President’s meeting with the Governor?”

“The brie-“

“Right here,” she reaches onto his desk and hands him a black folder that was right where she’d told him it was an hour ago. “Now go out there and do good Josh.” She playfully slaps his arse before opening the door. They both exchange small smiles before he walks out of the door and closes it behind him. Donna lets out the breath before heading to her desk to call her parents hotel room.

****

_Filomena Ristorante, Georgetown_

_Two hours later_

“When are Aunt Donna and Unca’ Josh gonna get here?” Mike asked the assembled adults. The children were growing rather impatient as they had yet to place their orders, the grandparents wanted to wait till everyone arrived. Even if it meant filling the grandkids up on appetizers at the high end Italian restaurant near Georgetown University. Despite their desire, Berti and David new they were approaching a crisis point with the kids if they didn’t get the orders in soon.

“I don’t know Mike,” the young boys father empathized with his son. Rick was unhappy with the last-minute plan to visit Washington DC and he was even more unhappy with the fact that he’d seen his younger sister for a few moments at the airport before she’d run off again. No matter what she and Josh claimed, he found it hard to believe that the _secretary_ for a position he didn’t understand good be so busy. It honestly felt like these two were off just screwing around and it was leaving his two boys hungry. He was getting rather pissed. “Mom, can’t we just order now? I highly doubt they’re going to join us tonight.” The glare from Berti Moss was enough to quiet her son’s complaints.

“Sorry where late,” Donna came around the table kissing everyone on the cheek as Josh pulled her chair out for her. “We had a last minute meeting over an emergency situation and it ran longer than we expected.” Josh noted the hostile glare from Rick but ignored it as he waited dutifully for his girlfriend to take her seat. Fortunately for him, the kids all seemed excited to see him at least.

“Can you tell us what the meeting was about?” Roz asked as she squeezed her husband’s hand under the table. She had noticed the number of people staring at Josh as he came in behind her sister-in-law and it was clear he was a big player in town, a family fight at the restaurant would not do anyone any good.

“There’s a situation developing,” Donna looked at Josh, quietly asking for permission, as she took her seat. “We had to meet with several state and local leaders to assess the best course of action and how the White House can help with it.” While Donna missed Rick’s eye roll because she was busy looking for Josh’s phone in her purse, Josh and (most importantly) Roz did not.

“Unfortunately, we can’t go into more detail right now as we aren’t ready for all of it to become public yet.” Josh jumped in as he set his napkin on his lap. He kept his carefully trained eye on Rick, he could tell he was upset but he didn’t know why.

“Is that all?” Rick was practically hissing. “Our kids have been waiting to order until you guys arrived, and it’s just cause you had to meet with state and local leaders?”

“We’ll I am primarily in charge of domestic policy…”

“I don’t care”

“ _Richard!_ ” Berti hissed from her end of the table.

“It’s Christmas time, what domestic issue could be sucking up so much of their time that they can’t be on-time to a dinner that was prearranged _weeks_ ago?” The question was clearly rhetorical. 

“We honestly can’t say Rick.” Donna was pale, but her voice was strong. Her anger and frustration at her family for their inability to respect her job and _her_ life choices was back. She felt Josh squeeze her knee under the table, while she also felt his eyes on her. “Some situations, especially domestic, are constantly evolving and the White House can’t have it’s intentions or decisions leak. This is one of those situations and you’re just going to have to trust me.”

“Like you asked me to trust you when you dropped out of school to support Mark?”

“That is uncalled for.” This time, it was Pete who hissed at Rick from across the table; Roz had noticeably gone pale. “While this career is her choice, what she can or can’t tell us isn’t.” Josh was grateful for Pete defending his youngest sister. If he hadn’t jumped in just then, it’s likely the White House Deputy Chief of Staff would have jumped across the table to strangle him. And that’s not a problem Leo, the President, or CJ needed to be dealing with at the moment.

“You know what Rick,” Donna was struggling to maintain her composure. “I was hoping you’d understand after Thanksgiving, but it’s clear you don’t. You don’t support my career choice, that’s your decision…but I also don’t have to put up with you acting like a complete and utter _ass_ at dinner in my adopted city either.” At this point, she stood up and walked towards the door carrying her bag with her.

Josh knew he had to follow Donna out, especially since she had his phone, but he couldn’t resist getting of one parting blow. “At least her family in the White House doesn’t hold the decisions she made as a teenager over her head.” He quickly walked out the door to comfort his very hurt girlfriend; as a result, he nearly ran over the waiter for their table.

“What the hell was that for Richard?” David Moss looked like he was ready to commit murder.

***

“Donna! Wait up.”

“No Joshua.”

“ _Donnaaaaaaaa”_ He began to run to catch-up to her, since she had such a head start. “Wait for me.”

“Why?”

“So I can comfort and support you.” At that, Donna froze…she knew she wasn’t mad at Josh, she was furious at Rick, and Jo; but not Joshua. “I’m sorry.” She said softly as he enveloped her in a big hug.

“I wanted to jump across the table and strangle him when he brought up Dr. Freeride.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Pete waved me off, and jumped in. I figured it was better to let him handle it than have him pull me off of your brother.” The soft, watery laugh Donna let out into Josh’s chest told him all he needed to know. “Come on, lets get Chinese food and go back to my place to unwi-“

His phone started ringing in Donna’s purse. As she went to fetch it, he let out a growl and began to silently curse under his breath as she answered the phone. He looked down as she started to hand the cursed device to him. “It’s Leo.”


	8. Decisions are made by those who show up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Decisions need to be made by several members of the administration as the dual crisis facing the Bartlet Administration come to a head.

_The Oval Office_

The five occupants of the Oval wore grim faces after the latest update on the investigation into the African American church arsons in Tennessee. This was the seventh church and there still wasn’t enough information for the FBI to wrest complete control of the case from the State Patrol; they, along with the Governor, had been resisting Federal interference in what they considered a state matter.

Josh, Toby, Leo, and the President had been going round and round for the last hour about what should be done. Technically, under Federal Law, this situation had escalated to the point where the FBI should be the head of the civil rights investigation; but the President and Leo were hesitant to put too much weight into the matter, as they hold antiquated views on states rights while also wanting to avoid a terf war with the Justice Department and an Attorney General that they all _loathed_. Meanwhile, Josh and Toby wanted to put as much weight as the White House could manage into handing this off to the FBI and the National Guard. No consensus had been reached and everyone was getting frustrated.

“Mr. President, with all do respect, the Black community has had this office ignore them for far too long. We need to take over every facet of this case as soon as possible.” It was Toby that broke the tense silence that permeated the room. “If this escalates like the FBI thinks it will, then we need to do this now.”

“The Governor thinks the FBI is being paranoid and just wants to grab more power for itself.”

“The Governor is an asshat who will be launching a bid for this office in four years, sir.” Josh chimed in. “Fighting off the Feds will give him a lot of credence with the Republican base, while also establishing his name as a nationwide brand if he’s right.”

“Josh,” Leo growled. “Let’s ignore the political ramifications _for the moment_ and focus on what helping the President make a decision.”

“The politics _have_ to be part of the equation Leo. If we’re wrong, this ends his Presidency; and if the Governor is wrong, it ends his political career. We can’t ignore that.”

“What, you don’t think the Black community will forgive if I let people die Josh?”

“No sir, I know they won’t”

“No shit Sherlock.” Toby was turning an interesting shade of red, “Anyone with HALF A BRAIN COULD TELL YOU THAT…even without the MS scandal hanging over our head; if this is bungled your Presidency is finished.” Silence once again dominated the room, no one seemed willing to want to break the President’s concentration as he mulled everything over. Steam radiated off of Toby’s round head, while Josh begins to pace in front of the fireplace. Their positions had been made clear…it was now up to the leader of the free world to decide what to do.

***

_Operations Bullpen_

Donna was staging her own battle of wills with her sister Betsy. After the disastrous dinner the night before, she and Josh had decided to forgo anymore of the planned events with her family. Dealing with Rick, on top of the multiple crises Josh was juggling was too much for her to handle. But that didn’t stop Betsy from trying to repair some of the damage, even if she completely understood where her sister was coming from. “Donna, Rick was an asshole last night and I completely understand why you don’t want to see him.” The younger woman sighed as she put all her energy into the memo she was typing. “But the kids miss you and so does Mom and Dad. They both ripped into Rick after that, he left the restaurant shortly there after while Roz and the kids stayed behind.”

“You’re trying to guilt me with my nieces and nephews?” Donna arched one of her eyebrows while printing off the memo. After standing up, she started walking to the printer with purpose and signaled for her older sister to follow her. “I want to see you guys but I really want nothing to do with Rick or Jo right now. After Thanksgiving it seems like they have no intent on appreciating or supporting me for what I am now.”

“You’re right, and I was guilty of that too; but I see you for what you are now…you’re a woman now, not just my baby sister.”

“This job is important not just to me, but to the White House and the country.”

“I know, and it’s very clear you’re good at it.”

“I’m damn good at it.”

“We’ll keep working on Rick, I think Pete was just about to strangle him after dinner. I also heard Roz light into him through their hotel door after I picked up the kids, she’s pissed at him too.”

“That’s great, because what I really wanted to do was cause more familial strife and stress on their marriage.”

“Don’t blame yourself Donna,” The older woman reached out and grabbed her sister’s wrist. “No one else does.” Donna’s derisive snort caught her sister off guard. “No seriously, the majority of the family understands now…and we also get your devotion to Josh too. It all clicked during Thanksgiving. I promise.”

“I want to believe you Bets…but I’ve had false hope before and I really don’t want to get caught up in it again.”

Betsy let go of the breath she had been subconsciously holding, “I really can’t blame you sis, we haven’t been the most supportive of you over the last few years; while I can’t speak for the others…I am really sorry and will work on being a better big sister in the future.”

“Thank you, Betsy.” Donna’s voice was almost a whisper as she sat back down in her chair while studying the linoleum under her shoes.

“Just see if you and Josh can spend some time with us on Christmas Day, it would mean the world to me and Kevin.”

“I have to talk to Josh.”

***

_White House CoS’s office_

Jordon had been quietly sitting on the couch in Leo’s office for the last thirty minutes. She was wrapped up in a blanket he’d started keeping there for when she visited. It was hard for her to miss the elevated voices coming from next door, especially Toby’s. While she didn’t fully grasp what was causing the arguments, Jordon Kendall is an intelligent woman and she’s figured out that _that particular_ crisis is what’s kept Leo in the office until midnight…it’s also meant that he’s ignored the looming crisis of his testimony tomorrow.

Neither of them was particularly looking forward to the confrontation with Darren Gibson, and they new it could potentially bring an end to not only Leo’s tenure in the White House…but the Bartlet Presidency. Hiding the relapse of Jed Bartlet’s Chief of Staff from the public was an understandable decision – in any other Administration it wouldn’t even be questioned; but because _this_ President had hidden a major health crisis from the American people it would cause problems.

Since Leo’s focus was on the crisis that they were arguing about in the Oval Office, it was up to Jordon to come up with a way to not only protect Leo McGarry, but also Jed Bartlet. The only option she kept coming back to was one the President had told both of them he would never accept. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a few more chapters left folks. The support I've received on this story is absolutely mind blowing and I can't tell you all how much I appreciate it.


	9. Leo goes to the Hill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Government Oversight Committee gets its chance to question the White House Chief of Staff over his roll in covering up the President's MS diagnosis during the campaign.

_The Oval Office_

_9:35 AM_

“Thank you, Mr. President.” Josiah Bartlet was running on zero hours of sleep, his anxiety over his best friend’s upcoming testimony to the hill had kept him up all night. He’d barely been able to drink any coffee this morning because his stomach was so upset. The meeting with the Joint Chiefs had been perfunctory, which meant it wasn’t a great loss that the President zoned out, but the next meeting was critical. “Nancy, could you please send in Josh.”

“Yes sir.”

“You called for me, sir?” The President made the universal sign for ‘take a seat’ as he attempted to read the cover sheet for his national security briefing; but it was rough going. And on top of that, Josh looked like hell. The bags under his eyes and the rats nest on top of his head told him that the Deputy Chief of Staff hadn’t gotten any sleep last night either. “What do you have planned Josh?”

“Sir, I think this is best left between me and Donna,” Josh started to mess with his hair even more. “There’s no guarantee I’ll be able to pull it off, or get Gibson out of the room.”

“Any chance that the committee chair will take it easy on Leo today?”

“I doubt it. Moving Gibson means that the GOP’s leadership is out for blood…specifically Leo’s.” To Jed’s amusement, Josh had begun to pace around the Oval. “This feels like retribution, not a campaign event.”

“I agree Josh.” With a sigh, Jed silently dismissed his Deputy Chief of Staff. He headed to the Mural Room, and to a meeting that he knew would be equally as fruitless.

****

_Government Oversight Committee, Hearing Room_

_11:35 AM_

“Please raise you’re right hand. Do you solemnly swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?”

“I do.”

“Thank you, Leo, please take your seat.” Leo’s palms were sweaty as the hearing began. He had received a briefing from Mike Casper about an hour ago on the situation in Tennessee, they still didn’t have any breaks or suspects; and the Governor was _still_ refusing to call up the Guard. With tomorrow being Christmas Eve, there was a great deal of fear that these arson attacks would go after a full Church. On top of all that, Leo’s relapse during Bartlet’s first election campaign was probably going to become public. Congressman Gibson was one of the last reps slated for his chance at questioning to be around prime time. “Mr. McGarry, do you have an opening statement?”

“No, no opening statement from me.” This was a risky strategy that Jordon and he had cooked up. It would give him less of a chance to contradict himself; or open any line of attack for the Republican members of the committee. The Democratic members were going to be a wildcard.

“Then, as Chairman of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee, I hand over time to the Congresswoman from Washington, Rebecca Fein.” Congresswoman Fein represented a large chunk of Eastern Washington and she had large bone to pick with this administration…the questions were not going to be pleasant. “Mr. McGarry, when did you find out about the President’s MS diagnosis?”

“Shortly before his second State of the Union address.”

“Not during the campaign.”

“No.”

“Not before you convinced him to run for President?”

“No.”

“Not during any of the numerous vacations your two families have had together?”

“My client has already stated when he found out about President Bartlet’s Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis. Can we please move onto other questions you have for him?” Jordon felt her annoyance at the congresswoman swell, but she also recognized the political theater that was happening in front of her. She was going to have to limit that as much as possible, for Leo’s sake.

“Did you suggest that the President continue to hide his disease from the American public once you found out?”

“No.”

“Did you urge him to disclose it?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Honestly, I was shocked.” Leo takes a pregnant pause to drink some water before he resumes. “We’ve been friends for over 30-years and it stunned me that he hadn’t confided this to until we were in the White House.”

“Would you have decided he _shouldn’t_ run for President if you had known?”

“Jed Bartlet was, and is, the best man for the job, MS or none…I was going to put him in the Oval Office.” Leo stared down the congresswoman, to this day, he knew getting Jed to run was the right thing. No matter what happened today, or tomorrow, getting his best friend elected was the best thing he had done in his political career.

“I yield my time to the gentleman from Arizona.” The congressman from Arizona didn’t ask any particularly tough questions; he was also trying to rattle Leo and trip him up. It was rapidly becoming clear that the goal of the committee was to get him agitated before Gibson got to question him. It was what solid strategy, if not predictable.

****

_Operations Bullpen_

_12:35 PM_

“Josh,” Donna stood up from her desk and walked into her fiancée’s office before closing the door behind her. “I wasn’t able to get anyone from the auto industry on the phone to talk to Gibson.”

“That’s not a surprise,” Josh sighed and gently laid his head down on his desk. “It’s the holidays, and the execs are probably off in the Swiss chalets. Have we heard anything from Casper today?”

“No Josh.”

“No news is good news…right?”

****

_Mural Room_

_12:40 PM_

“Governor,” The President’s exasperation was coming through clearly. “These are people’s lives at stake.”

“And you, nor the FBI, have provided me any proof that a Black Church will be burned down during a service.” The Governor of Tennessee had been accompanied by his Attorney General, both of whom were confident that this situation was vandalism based, and not a deliberate attempt to silence the African American community in their state. “If there was proof, you’d have provided it by now _and_ I would have called up the Guard.”

At the back wall, Toby leaned over and whispered to Charlie. “This is getting us nowhere; the President should just nationalize the Guard and take the decision out of the Governor’s hands.”

****

_Government Oversight Committee, Hearing Room_

_1:30 PM_

“According to the First Lady’s press office,” This question came from a conservative Democrat from Wisconsin. “She regularly had prescriptions filed for Betaseron throughout the campaign.”

“Yes.”

“And you never questioned why she had aides running to fill prescriptions constantly?”

“I don’t know how she had them filled at the pharmacies, just that she was.”

“I have no further questions for this witness.”

“Thank you, Congressman Johnson,” The Chairman looked at his schedule and took a deep breath. “The Chair recognizes Congressman Bob Gibson.”

****

_The office of the White House Deputy Chief of Staff_

_1:28 PM_

Donna was firmly holding Josh’s shoulder as Gibson began his questioning. They hadn’t been able to get him out of the room, there was no way to prevent Leo from being humiliated. “It’s not your fault Josh.”

“Then why do I feel like it is?” His voice was muffled by his hands.

“Because you have a world class guilt complex, love.” Neither of them was paying attention to the TV, but it was impossible to miss the sounds of shock coming from it as Leo admitted to his relapse on the night of the final Presidential debate. Donna knew that no matter what she said, Josh was going to blame himself for being unable to protect his father’s best friend, his mentor. She was just going to have to comfort him while also preventing a relapse of last Christmas.

Then, the phone began to ring.

***

_Government Oversight Committee, Hearing Room_

_1:40 PM_

“When did you tell the President of your relapse?”

“The day after it hap-.” Leo’s answer was cut off when a page delivered a note to him. Before reading it, he leaned over to Jordon and asked for a recess. She made the request, and it was approved after some wrangling. The two headed towards the ante chamber that had functioned as their briefing room; that’s where Leo opened the note.

_There’s been an escalation in Tennessee, there are injuries. You’re needed back at the WH - Josh_


End file.
